It's Not Me, It's You
by stuckbeingrachel
Summary: '"Why do you hate me so much?" "I don't hate you." "Dude, really," "Fine, I hate you, so what?" "Why?"' Jerome/Mick friendship only people! R&R!


**Hope y'all like this! It has a little bit of romance, but it's mostly just thoughts and explaining it. The point of this one-shot is a Jerome/Mick friendship. I may make a spin-off of this if anyone wants me too!**

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Jerome groaned and ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair in frustration. He had detention today for being late to class. It wasn't his fault though, Mara had forgotten her Chemistry book at the house and he had volunteered to fetch it for her, which caused him to be late for Chemistry. Mr. Sweet had not been happy and he hadn't believed that he'd gone back for the book.

As he stepped into the history classroom, he froze in the door way and scowled. Great.

Mick looked up from his football and scoffed, spinning the ball on his pointer finger. Jerome brushed past his desk and moved to the back left hand corner, the farthest seat from Mick.

After Mr. Sweet explained the rules of detention which neither boy needed to hear, he left for his office and an awkward silence clouded the room. Jerome sat there for a minute, staring at the clock as it ticked slowly. He groaned and stood up abruptly, causing Mick to jump at the sound of the chair's legs scrape against the tile. Jerome peeked out the door and after double checking no one would walk in, he grabbed the clock off the wall and twisted the time ahead an hour.

"What are you doing?" Mick sighed.

"I don't have time for detention." Jerome grumbled, putting the clock back on the wall. A minute later the bell rang and crossed the room for his bag.

"Then why'd you get it?"

"Because I was being nice, something you couldn't do for your own girlfriend." Jerome replied, stalking out of the room.

"What do you mean?"

"Mara had complained that she forgot her chemistry notebook right next to you and you had been so focused on your stupid ball, you either didn't hear her or you ignored her. I decided to be nice and step in. I ran to the house for her book and I was late to chemistry."

"Why'd you do that?"

"Why didn't you?"

"Don't turn this around on me, Clarke."

"Stop following me, Campbell."

"Why do you hate me so much?" Mick grabbed the taller blonde's shoulder and turned him around to look at him.

"I don't hate you." Jerome scoffed, jerking away from him.

"Dude, really," Mick gave him a look and Jerome sighed.

"Fine, I hate you, so what?"

"Why?"

Jerome stayed silent and Mick groaned.

"Come on, dude, you and I used to be really good friends, and then high school comes along and you start hating me? Why? What did I do that was so bad?"

"Because it's not me, it's you." Jerome snapped.

"What?"

"It's always been you, even before high school, it was always you."

"I still don't get it." Mick sighed, running a hand though his hair.

"I spent three years working up the courage to ask out the one and only girl that will ever get me to spill my guts with just a snap of her fingers. I got turned down, and that confidence was shattered in an instant. I spent two whole years trying to be her friend, to slowly move in and be more than friends. Five years, I suffered being in love with her while she fell for other guys."

"What does this have to do with me?" Mick exclaimed, throwing his arms over his head in frustration.

"Like I said, it's not me, it's you. Every time you broke her heart, I'd comfort her, and then she run back to you. She should have stayed with me."

"This is about Mara?" Mick cried. "That's what these last few years of pranks, hatred and cold glares have been about? Mara Jaffray?"

"Of course it's Mara. I've only been crushing on her since the first moment she came to school when we were twelve. I told you, too. I told you when we were friends and Mara first came to school, that I liked her. She smiled at me and I felt different. I felt awesome. I felt like someone cared about me. I felt something that I had ever felt before. Don't you remember? She walked in, her hair was really long and it was pulled back in pigtails. She wore that yellow sundress that practically made her glow…" he drifted off, blue eyes warming and glazing over as he leaned against the lockers beside them. "God, she looked beautiful. I want to see her in that dress again."

"Dude, you could've just told me, I would have backed off." Mick snapped his fingers in front of his face.

He jumped out of his daydream and looked down at Mick. "No, you wouldn't have."

"Yes, I would have. When we weren't even speaking to each other, I was trying to figure out what I'd done to make you shut me out of your life. I wanted to fix it. If I'd known that you were _in love _with her, then, I would have totally backed off. I'll go back to the house and break up with her right now—"

"No, don't."Jerome stopped him with his arm. "If you do that, the same thing is just going to go over again. You break her heart, I comfort her, she runs back to you, and I get my heart broken – all over again. And to add on to my pathetic love story, she'll never like me like that."

"Mate, on our dates, all she does is talk about how sweet you are to her, and how different you are when you get to know him. And how caring and deep you are, stuff no one knows about you. Not even me or Alfie. I think she may be in denial. What about a month, can you last a little longer? I'll break up with her tonight and in a month, ask her out. Be her friend for this month, without me involved with her."

"You can't break up with her tonight."

"Why? Why are you making it so hard for me to be nice to you and fix are stupid friendship?"

"Tomorrow's her birthday."

"Oh, come on. Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Dang it. Okay, here's the plan. I'll break up with her in a week and then you be her friend and be all sweet and caring and different and deep and then move in after about a month has past. It's fool proof!"

"I appreciate the effort dude but…"

"Just, let's try. And if it works, you've got your girl, and if it doesn't, I'll do one thing – anything you say." Mick compromised.

Jerome arched an eyebrow at the shorter blonde. "One, she's not an object, she wouldn't be mine, I wouldn't own her. Second, you're on."

"Alright, get ready to eat your pitiful negative words, Clarke."

"Get ready to eat three gallons of puréed carrots, Campbell." He called as the other boy ran out of the school.

Jerome shook his head and chuckled, following Mick's path, only slower.

Mara took a deep breath and stepped out of the Maths classroom. She had heard everything. She hadn't planned on eavesdropping, but when she heard Jerome and Mick get into an argument about their past friendship, she had to listen. She bit her lips, fighting back that biggest grin she's ever worn. She hugged her books closer to her chest and made her way outside. He loved her. Jerome Clarke loved her. And she had been so blinded by Mick and her denial to realize it, and to see that she loved him back. But he was wrong.

It's always been him.

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**I hope you guys liked it! Please review! **

_**Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. -1 Peters 3:9**_

**Love y'all!**

**-Rachel**


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